Thursday, December 18, 2008

Guilty Pleasures

I know, I know! I've been MIA for a whole week! I've missed you blog-land. I've missed you more than you know.

I've had no time to blog, my dear friends, no time at all......

Okay, that's a lie. I've had plenty of time, I've just been doing other things. With Christmas peeking out from behind the corner at me, staring me down (almost accusingly) I should have been working on Christmas gifts like the insane, super-obsessed crafter that I am. Instead, I have been lost in the world of books. The teenage fangirl vampire book world, but still. Let me explain.

I have always been one of those people who just gets pop culture. I was an MTV kid right from the start. I even know that the very first video ever played on MTV was "Video Killed the Radio Star." I'm full of random trivia like that. I don't really miss much. As I get older, I'm slowly figuring out that kids have weird taste. I mean, really.... Hannah Montana? High School Musical? I don't really understand them, but I didn't miss them altogether.

Now, a couple of months ago, in a letter (yes, an actual letter, postmarked and everything), Callie asked me if I'd read the Twilight books. I didn't even know what she was talking about. I'd never even heard of them. A quick Googling revealed that they were apparently the "cool new thing." They even made a movie of the first book. I suppose Callie thought I would have read them since I'm so very obsessed with Buffy the Vampire Slayer... it being my very favorite TV show and all... and Twilight also being about teenage vampires. I guess most people don't get that my love for Buffy has alot more to do with the writing and the witty diologue than anything else.

Anyway, I was really only marginally curious about the whole Twilight thing. I dismissed it as silly vampire books for "tweens." I didn't know anybody who had read them. I mentioned it to Jessica, ex-roomie and Buffy comrade. She knew about as much as I did, that it was the "new thing" and that 14 year old girls were going crazy over it. But when she came to visit the night before my birthday and happened to have the first book in the back seat of her car after she'd read it that week, I decided to give the whole thing a try.

A week later, I've read all 2500+ pages of the four books and seen the movie with Jessica. Ha! If you know me well, you should know that it really doesn't take me long to get into something. So, what's the verdict you ask? Twilight is not the new Harry Potter. It's not the new Buffy. But it sure is fun. And what else can you really ask from a book? Just a little time away from real life.

Twilight is my newest guilty pleasure... even if it does mean that I have the same literary taste as a 14 year old girl.

Now, I'm off to pack for this year's round of Christmas hopscotch. First to Jasper with Chris' family, then to Tignall for mine, with lots of holiday baking in between. Mmmmm..... peppermint bark and homemade marshmallows. I can't wait.